Incident Details
A database that was publicly accessible contained a total of 2,363,222 documents in .PDF and .PNG formats, totaling 92.3 GB in size. These documents included various items such as reservations, injury waivers, and receipts, which contained partial credit card numbers and transaction information. Additionally, the exposed data included digital gift cards without expiry dates, original images for websites, and templates. The breach was identified by cybersecurity expert Jeremiah Fowler, who promptly notified Kids Empire through a responsible disclosure. The database remained open to the public for a minimum of three weeks before access was eventually restricted. This security incident has potentially jeopardized the privacy of customers by exposing personal details like names, addresses (physical and email), phone numbers, and reservation specifics. Kids Empire has a presence in 18 states with a total of 68 establishments. The breach has exposed sensitive information that cybercriminals could misuse for identity theft or financial fraud.
Incident
How Did the Breach Happen?
The security compromise was a result of an unprotected database without password protection, holding more than 2.3 million documents owned by Kids Empire.
What Data has been Compromised?
Exposed information consisted of booking details, liability waivers, transaction records with truncated credit card numbers, digital gift cards, original images for web content, and design structures. Additionally, sensitive data like names, addresses, contact numbers, and reservation specifics were also compromised.
Why Did the company's Security Measures Fail?
The security system failed because the database was not password-protected, which led to unauthorized individuals gaining access to the confidential data it contained.
What Immediate Impact Did the Breach Have on the company?
The security breach revealed confidential customer data and created possible privacy concerns for customers. Prompt measures were necessary to protect the compromised database and reduce additional risks.
How could this have been prevented?
One way to avoid this breach would have been to put in place suitable security measures like safeguarding passwords, encrypting important data, conducting frequent security assessments, and restricting entry to databases with sensitive details.
What have we learned from this data breach?
The incident underscores the significance of protecting databases that contain confidential customer data. It also stresses the necessity of responsibly notifying impacted businesses about breaches to mitigate potential misuse of leaked information.
Summary of Coverage
In 2024, a Family Entertainment Business experienced a data breach where more than 2.3 million records were disclosed because of a database lacking password protection. This breach included compromised reservations, injury waivers, receipts containing partial credit card numbers, transaction specifics, and personally identifiable details of clients. This event highlighted the significance of implementing strong security protocols and ethical practices in disclosing and protecting confidential information.